Parents commonly use pacifiers to quiet and soothe crying infants. Because a pacifier is held in an infant's mouth, it is particularly important that the pacifier is clean and germ-free. However, because an infant often allows a pacifier to fall out of its mouth, pacifiers are easily and frequently soiled. Unfortunately, when the infant is away from home or other readily-available sources of running water, it is often difficult for the parent to clean the soiled pacifier. Traditionally, if there is nothing convenient to wash the pacifier off with, the parent or guardian of the child might lick or stick the pacifier in their own mouth to rid the pacifier of any germs or debris collected when it came in contact with the surface on which it was dropped. However, this only replaces or adds to the germs from the ground with the germs from the parent or guardians mouth. Thus, an apparatus which allows a parent to clean a pacifier “on the go” offers great utility.
Some devices have been developed to clean pacifiers; however, these devices are usually separate from the pacifier, requiring the parent to keep both the pacifier and the cleaning device handy. One patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,996) integrates the cleaning device into the pacifier, but lacks both bristles that will facilitate removing germs or debris and a guard to keep a infant from swallowing or choking on the pacifier.
Therefore, there is a need for a safe pacifier with a guard and detachable body capable of cleaning the nipple by use of a cleaning solution and bristles.